


The Hood Family

by wastelandcth



Series: The Doves [2]
Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: F/M, but they're also always cute and i love them with all my heart, calum and his family always get up to no good sometimes, dad!cal, this one is a somewhat origin story, welcome to the doveyverse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-05
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-18 23:34:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29865753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wastelandcth/pseuds/wastelandcth
Summary: The Doves: Consisting of Calum and his wife, who we lovingly call Dovey. They’re the definition of love and although their children are more chaotic than them, we get to see their love language of teasing and soft moments.Charlie Thomas Hood: The best child on earth, you can’t fight me on this. he wears harry potter glasses and loves turtles more than life itself. he will talk about animals to anyone who’s willing to listen and has the pleasure of being in his presence.Eloise Koa Hood: The youngest hood child and that means that she will bully her way into getting what she wants. she loves accents and will not hesitate when it comes to forcing her family into watching another Lewis Capaldi video. known as smelly Elly by her brother.
Relationships: Calum Hood/Original Character(s), Calum Hood/Original Female Character(s), Calum Hood/You
Series: The Doves [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2194812





	1. The Hood Family Expands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The story(ies) of how Dovey and Calum became parents and their life turned into lovely chaos.

When Calum held his son for the first time, he felt like everything in his life suddenly made sense. He felt like every bad day he’d ever had and every struggle he ever dealt with was worth something. As he looked into his newborn son’s eyes, he felt like nothing else mattered, that his little family was worth everything he’d been through. He’d watched his wife grow their child for nine months, dealing with the hormones and crazy food cravings because she was growing his kid inside of her. She was experiencing changes that Calum could never even comprehend and the least Calum could do was buy her some bread and cheese at three in the morning. 

When she’d told Calum she was pregnant, all Calum could do was cry and hold her close. He’d never expected to be a father but the second he was on the way to being one, he couldn’t wait for the nine months to be over. He spent the next eight months making sure he read up on everything he could about childbirth in order to be prepared for when his wife went into labor. He’d wake up whenever you had random cravings and drive to the nearest 24-hour store which he’s sure the cashier knew his name by how many times he’d show up to buy bread, cheese, even ice cream, and donuts at one point. 

She’d been pranking him the past week, telling him that she thought her contractions had started and even going a far as dropping a cup of water on the floor to get a reaction out of Calum. They’d both laughed it off and she’d simply ruffle his hair when Calum pouted and told her that it wasn’t good for his blood pressure to prank him like this. He’d been in a meeting the day that she had gone into labor, thinking he still had a few weeks left before he’d begin to panic about labor, she’d texted him that her water had broken and she was pretty sure baby Hood was on their way into the world. Before Calum could even think of a straight answer, he was up and racing out of the meeting room, Ashton right behind him as he apologized to their label executives. Calum’s hand kept running through his hair as he looked out the window of his passenger seat, Ashton had taken the keys from him and they were speeding down the highway to make it back home. 

After what seemed like a whirlwind of panic and Calum trying his best not to panic over the fact that he was going to become a father in the next couple of hours. All he remembered was getting out of the car while Ashton called the other guys who’d stayed behind to finish the meeting and updating them with whatever Calum had told him before he had rushed inside of his house to find his wife. 

Before Calum knew it, he was in the backseat of his car with his wife next to him trying to breathe through her contractions, and in the blink of his eyes, they were checked into the hospital. The constant heartbeat ringing out through the hospital room reminded Calum that his firstborn would be in his arms in a matter of hours, he’d been sorting through the hospital bag that his wife had somehow managed to pack in the midst of her water breaking induced panic. He wasn’t sure why she had decided to pack three different Youngblood CD’s but he wasn’t going to question her while her body literally prepared itself to push a whole human being out of her body. 

Labor and delivery was something Calum found both extremely graphic and extremely out of this world. He held his wife’s hand the entire time, never complaining when she squeezed his hand so tight that he thought he might lose it. After three and a half hours of intense contractions and his hand almost being ripped out of his body, Calum heard the cries of his newborn son entering the world. He stood shocked as he watched the doctors and nurses rush around the room and taking vitals, it felt like his life was on pause as he laid his eyes on his son. 

Charlie Theo Hood was perfect, he was warm and cuddly and the first time Calum held him he was obsessed. Watching Dovey hold their son and whisper quietly as the tiny human he’d created drifted off to sleep made Calum feel complete, made him feel like he had finally found his place in life. As he held them both close on that uncomfortable hospital bed, Calum knew that he was going to do anything he could to make his son’s life amazing. 

The first week at home with Charlie was filled with tears from both Calum and Charlie, a lot of lullaby singing, and of course, no sleeping. But before Calum knew it, his little boy was crawling after Duke and babbling on about his day. He loved being a father, he loved holding Charlie close while he worked on music, love telling his little boy all about his days whenever he was away. But when Charlie said his first word, Calum felt the air rush out of him as he held the sleepy toddler, the small toddler muttering over and over as he pointed to Duke. 

If there was one thing Charlie loved more than his parents who seemed to always be recording him and the weird shenanigans they all got up to, it was turtles. Dovey and Calum had no real idea how his obsession with turtles came to be but the small collection of turtle toys and turtle-themed clothes that had gathered in his room was something to marvel at. Calum had been more than happy to supply his kid’s addiction and would often come back home with small turtles that reminded him of his baby boy. Whenever Calum was away on tour, he’d search out any turtles that he could find and slip them into his suitcase, something that Charlie loved about his dad coming home and showering him with stuffed turtles. 

Calum loved watching Charlie and Dovey together. Whenever his wife and his child were both lying on the couch together, singing along to whatever video that Charlie had insisted on watching. Even when they went out for lunch and Charlie wanted nothing more than to sit on Dovey’s lap, trying to read the menu with her and help her pick out what sounded like the yummiest dish there. Every day, Calum was amazed by how great of a mother Dovey was, she always seemed to know exactly what Charlie needed and when he needed it. She could tell when it was his naptime or when his whines meant he just wanted to be held a little tighter. Calum was in awe of her and the way that she loved their son.

It wasn’t until Charlie was three and Calum had left for his first tour that was longer than a month that Charlie’s attachment to Calum grew tighter. He’d spend all day watching old videos of when Calum and Dovey traveled the world together or watching videos of Calum playing on stage with his band that Charlie seemed to love so much. Calum knew that touring this time around would be hard, knew that leaving his little family for three months would mean he’d miss out on many first with Charlie, but it was worth it in order to provide him with the best life possible. But three months was too long and when Calum had called Dovey late one night with information on the next show and the promise that she and their son would be there to dance the night away, he finally slept with the warmth in his heart that hadn’t been there in weeks.


	2. Turtles and Toddlers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introducing Eloise Koa Hood, who is a little troublemaker. Charlie finds out he’s going to be a big brother and Dovey is in need of a coffee break.

When Charlie was three years old and seemed to be over the terrible twos that weren’t so terrible when Charlie himself was the sweetest boy on Earth, Dovey found out she was pregnant. At first, she was terrified, millions of thoughts rushing through her head as she thought about having to go through pregnancy and what her parents were going to think about her. She didn’t even know what Calum was going to think, would he be happy? Would he be terrified like she was? It wasn’t until the doctor called her name and handed her the small sonogram that she was pulled back into reality. She already had a wonderful baby boy back home and a loving husband and that another baby was going to make their little family even more amazing and chaotic.

When Dovey pulled Calum into their bedroom that night after dinner and slipped the sonogram into his hands, she couldn’t help the smile on her face. Calum’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion before he realized what he was looking at and then his eyes were on Dovey who seemed to be glowing in their bedroom.

“You’re pregnant? I…that’s amazing, we’re going to have another baby? Oh my god, we have to get a bigger house and a bigger car! Oh my god, we have to tell Charlie. Charlie! He’s going to be a big brother!” Calum was pacing around the bedroom at this point, chuckling to himself as he looked back down at the sonogram and grinned, “We’re gonna have another little one. I love you so much, Dovey.”

Telling a three-year-old that he was going to be a big brother sounded like a simple task, except when it came to Calum and Dovey who insisted on making it the most complicated thing they’d do that week. After debating the best way to tell Charlie that there would be a new baby in their house in a couple of months, they both settled on getting an extra turtle Halloween costume to surprise him. Charlie being his usual turtle obsesses self, was too busy getting ready to celebrate Halloween and dress up as a turtle to realize all the hints that Calum and Dovey had been leaving him those days leading up to Halloween. He didn’t seem to catch on when Calum would rub Dovey’s belly more often and tell her she was glowing. He seemed to ignore all the new baby stuff that his parents had been buying recently and he thought that going to look at houses meant that he was getting two rooms, one for him to sleep in and another to keep all his turtle toys. It wasn’t until he was all dressed and ready to go get some candy that he realized an extra costume laying on the living room floor next to him that he thought to ask why.

“Well…when we have the new baby here next Halloween we thought you’d like it if they wore a turtle costume too. Wouldn’t that be nice? If your new little brother or sister was also a turtle?” Dovey said softly as she tied his shoelaces, looking up into his brown eyes that matched his dad’s.

“A new baby? Where are you getting them from?” Charlie asked confused, “The baby hospital?”

“Well, sorta, the baby is in my tummy right now but in a few months they’ll be here and you’ll be a big brother, isn’t that exciting?” Dovey asked and chuckled, placing her hand over the small bump that had started showing a few days ago.

“Yeah, but if they’re a baby…they can’t be a ninja turtle momma, they’ll be too tiny!” He shrugged and that was the end of it, Charlie too busy with the thought of trick or treating, grabbed his basket, and followed Calum and Duke out.

Eloise Koa Hood was born on a rainy April day, the sky was a dark grey and Dovey had been at home with Charlie all day. They’d been playing with the turtle that Charlie not so accidentally bought from her phone on a day when her contractions had started, the familiar pang of pain-causing her to gasp and causing Calum to look up from the laptop he’d been typing away on for most of the morning. Life seemed to flash by and before Dovey knew it she was holding her newborn daughter in her arms, the only noise in the room beside the monitor next to her was the sniffles coming from her and Calum.

Eloise was perfect, she was a tiny bundle of love and bright eyes that met Calum’s the second she was awake. She was a cuddly bundle who seemed to attach herself to Calum and never want to leave the warm embrace of his arms. Dovey watched them through tired eyes, Calum rocking the tiny baby in his arms as he whispered too quiet for her to tell what he was saying to their daughter and before she could stop herself, she closed her eyes and drifted off to a well-deserved sleep.

Charlie had been holding Mali’s hand so tightly as they walked down the hospital hallway to the room where his momma, papa, and little sister were supposed to be, he had never been so excited in his life before. Dovey had told him that when the baby was finally here he’d have a best friend for life and that meant he’d have someone to always play with him and someone new that he could talk to about turtles. Mali had picked him up in her arms as they walked into the room, fixing his glasses which had tilted to one side before walking further into the room where he saw his parents.

“Hi, bud, ready to meet your little sister?” Calum said quietly, slowly standing up from the bed and walking over to him and Mali.

Charlie nodded, knowing he had to be calm and quiet because there were lots of people in hospitals and lots of babies too, and those babies liked it when it was quiet or else they would cry and he didn’t really like it when babies cried. But he couldn’t help the gasped that left him as Calum took him from Mali and he got the first look at his baby sister who was sleeping on his mom. She was tiny, nowhere big enough to fit in her turtle costume that they’d gotten her all those months ago. She had a yellow hat on and that made Charlie giggled because he liked the color yellow too and that meant that they already had something in common.

Dovey stared at the pictures that were framed by her desk of when Charlie first met Eloise, his giant smile shining bright like his dad’s while Eloise slept peacefully. It was a nice distraction from the current chaos of their household, a nice break from the fact that she had a toddler chasing after her brother with a wand threatening to hit him on the head if he didn’t play fairies with him. At two years old, Eloise was an absolute force to be reckoned with, she would get her way if it was the last thing she ever did and that’s how Dovey found herself hiding in her office drinking her lukewarm coffee that she had no chance of finishing out in the living room. It wasn’t until Calum snuck into the same room and looked at her confused that she managed to laugh, whether it was because she was exhausted or because she saw Calum with the same cup of coffee she’d made him this morning in his hands.

“I see you’ve found the hiding spot?” Calum asked and chuckled, sitting down on the floor next to her, and taking a sip of what she assumed was now cold coffee.

“Found it? Baby, I invented this hiding spot.” Dovey teased, nudging him with her elbow and laughing, “These kids are a menace, they take after you I see.”

Calum laughed and shook his head, wrapping his arm around his wife and pulling her close. They hadn’t had much alone time these past couple of weeks, Calum was away at the studio most of the time and the kids attached themselves to their hips, and by the end of the day, they were too tired to even watch an episode of a show. Sometimes they ended up asleep with Charlie and Eloise on their laps while on the couch. Sometimes they ended up asleep on their bed and would wake up in the early hours of the morning with their two kids in between them both. Even if their family had turned to chaos in the most recent years with Eloise, Calum wouldn’t trade it for a thing.


	3. Conversations and Costco

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Calum and charlie go to Costco. a small moment in time where Calum realizes how much fatherhood has improved him and charlie just loves watching the chickens turn.

He found himself once again with Charlie in his car seat and music coming out of his car speaker, a song that Charlie had been listening to all week long, basically screaming out the lyrics out as Calum drove them to Costco to pick up some bulk groceries. Most of the time, Dovey would be the one to go into Costco, Calum either too sleepy to go early in the morning and opting for staying with Charlie while she had some time to herself in the greatest store ever. But Dovey had made plans with a few of her friends already and was out in the city causing trouble, at least Calum hoped she was because he expected nothing more from his chaotic wife, and their toilet paper supply was dangerously low so off to Costco with Charlie he went. 

Calum loved going shopping with Charlie, he’d always point out a random product which Calum would proceed to tell him all he knew about it, leading to many conversations on why toothbrushes and even a car washing kit were very interesting. 

Walking into Costco, Calum couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him as he saw Charlie’s eyes go wide as he saw the sheer size of the building they were about to go into. Settling the toddler into the cart and buckling him up, Calum walked into the store, the cold air that hit them both a relief from the hot California summer air. 

“Papa, what is that?” Charlie asked as he looked at the tall racks filled with all the bulk items anyone could ever need. 

“Oh those are called Roombas, they’re basically a robot that picks up the trash and hair on the floor.” Calum said happily as he pushed the cart closer to the display, “Your mama really wants one but she’s also very afraid of robots so I don’t think we’ll have one anytime soon. It would make cleaning up Duke’s hair a lot easier, huh?”

Charlie had simply nodded, moving on to the next thing he hadn’t ever seen in his life before and asking Calum about it, leading to the two of them stopping every couple feet to have discussions on something Charlie found interesting. His eyes searched for new things at every turn, whenever his words failed him, small gasps and babbles would come out and Calum would tell him what word he was looking for. Charlie would proceed to repeat a few times as if he was trying to save it in his word bank before he moved on to look for new things. 

After walking through most of the store, their shopping cart full of too many bulk snacks and the toilet paper they had originally come for, Calum and Charlie found themselves in the meat department. Charlie had gasped as Calum looked through a few options of ravioli, his wide eyes staring at the rotisserie chickens spin round and round. 

“Papa! Look! They’re on a ride!” Charlie said in awe, his eyes following a particularly big chicken. “What is that? I want to go on it, please?” he asked with a pout that he knew Calum would never be able to resist. 

“Oh, bub, I don’t think that would be a very fun ride. But why don’t we head back home to your mama, you can show her all the new things you found at the store, and maybe we can tell her about the robot!” Calum nodded as he pushed the shopping cart over to the checkout lines, promising Charlie that they’d get a frozen yogurt before they left.

By the time Calum had finished putting their groceries back into the car and Charlie into his car seat, his mouth covered with frozen yogurt and strawberry sauce, Calum’s mind felt exhausted. He wasn’t known for being such a talker, even from a young age, his mom would tell others that Calum only talked when he felt it was important to do so. But whenever he was around his son, Calum found himself talking more and more, making sure that he wasn’t ever shutting out his son no matter if he felt his lips chapped and his mouth dry from talking all day long. Charlie was very much like his dad, he didn’t talk much unless he was talking to his parents or about turtles. So even if he was going to experience a sugar high in the next couple of minutes, his eyes still fluttered closed as the day of excitement at Costco caught up to him. 

“Papa?” Charlie mumbled, a yawn escaping his lips as the car pulled out of the parking lot, “I think I love the big store. We should bring mama here too, she would love it too.”

“Yeah? I think she’d love it too, bub. Maybe we can all come next time, huh?” Calum chuckled, looking back at his son through the rearview mirror, a grin on his face. 

“Yeah, but we won’t get robots.”

“No robots, deal.”


	4. Costco Kisses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Calum takes his family to Costco.

The chilly February morning made Calum move throughout the house a little slower, the steaming cup of tea in his hands bringing him warmth. He’d been up for an hour now, trying to convince himself to get ready for the day ahead when all he really wanted to do was stay in bed with his lovely wife. But when Dovey, who was almost seven months pregnant and whose belly kept her up almost all night tossing and turning, had woken up with the sun Calum had no choice but to get out of bed too. By the time Calum had made it out of bed and into the kitchen, Dovey had looked up to show him what she had been working on. The decorations for the nursery were cut out of pink and purple glitter cardstock, little fairies with wings that sparkled whenever the sunlight hit them. Ever since Dovey had found out they’d be having a girl, she claimed that handmade decorations would mean more to their little girl who was due in a few week's time. 

“I need to go to Costco today,” Calum said as he took a seat next to his wife, glancing over at the baby monitor that showed Charlie was still very much asleep. “Did you want me to take Charlie and give you some time alone?" 

The idea of Dovey being home alone this far into her pregnancy left Calum anxious. Last time, when Charlie was still in the womb and Calum had thought that labor and delivery would be no big deal, he’d ended up leaving a meeting without saying goodbye to anyone and rushing to Dovey at home so he could drive them to the hospital. But Calum also knew that the farther along Dovey got in the pregnancy, the more tired she was. She’d go run errands at the grocery store and then lay down for hours afterward, with swollen feet and tired eyes to try and entertain Charlie. 

"It’s fine, I can go with you, I want to pick up some things too.” Dovey mumbled, struggling to get up from the couch, “I want to check out their baby stuff too, see if we can find one of those baby food blenders." 

Charlie, who had loved Costco more than any other place on Earth, had been excited to finally show his mom all the cool things he had found every time he and his papa would go on trips to Costco. He was excited to show his mama the giant bag of Hot Cheetos, secretly hoping she’d get them because she always wanted spicy food now that the little bean was on the way. He couldn’t wait to show her the spinning chickens and tell her all about how he tried to convince his papa to let him ride it. 

"Oh! Mama doesn’t go that way, that’s where the robot is!” Charlie called out from the shopping cart, trying to grab Dovey’s bag as she strayed off from him and Calum down the appliance aisle. 

“What robot?” Dovey asked and chuckled, looking at the toddler with confusion, “They don’t have robots at Costco, do they?” she mumbled, the sudden realization making her look at Calum with wide eyes. 

“No, no robots,” Calum laughed, rolling his eyes as he followed Dovey, pushing the cart that Charlie was sitting in looking at his parents, “He just saw the Roomba and I told him that robots freak you out." 

"Oh, yeah. Roombas are freaky.” Dovey mumbled, pressing a soft kiss onto Charlie’s curls, “But I think it would help us now with the new baby coming soon, huh stinky?”

Dovey had been to Costco a million times, her dad would always take her to the warehouses whenever he picked her up from school and they’d share a hot dog in the parking lot and talk about Dovey’s day at school or the latest band she’d been obsessed with. But pretending that she’d never been in the store just to see how excited Charlie got when he was explaining how the rotisserie chicken worked was worth it. As they walked through the aisles of bulk goods, Charlie would explain what something was, telling her how Calum had shown it to him on their latest trip, and Dovey couldn’t stop the tears from falling down her cheeks as she saw her son standing next to a giant box of cheeseballs. 

“Buddy! That box is bigger than you! I don’t think we could ever eat that many cheeseballs even if we tried our hardest.” Dovey managed to get out through her tears, the pregnancy hormones once again making her seem like a crazy person. 

“But mama,” Charlie had whined quietly, the same pouty face Calum would use whenever he wanted something from her, “You love cheeseballs!”

If Dovey wasn’t heavily pregnant and in love with her child, she probably would’ve stood her ground and told Charlie they didn’t need a bulk pack of cheeseballs big enough to feed an entire classroom, but when Calum walked up with a box of newborn size diapers she had no choice. The tears that had dried a few minutes ago flowed once again as she realized how tiny the diapers would be and how tiny Charlie still was. 

“Oh my god,” she sniffed out, using the back of her hand to wipe away her tears, “Just get the cheeseballs and let’s go before I keep crying!" 

Maybe it was the fact that Charlie was preoccupied in his car seat, snacking away on a churro, or the fact that Calum looked very strong while putting the boxes of bulk goods they’d bought but Dovey really wanted to make out with her husband. What Dovey wanted, she usually got, so it was no surprise that Calum had his arms on her waist and his lips on hers the second she had uttered out her request. 

"Kiss?”

Calum liked his trips to Costco with Charlie but he had to admit, trips with Dovey and Charlie were a lot of fun. He got to see his wife and son both freak out over a Roomba and then try and convince Calum that they needed to be said “evil robot.” He also liked the fact that Dovey had wanted to make out with him in the Costco parking lot because if there was anything Calum loved more than his family, it was making out with his wife. And those Costco kisses were magical.


	5. Costco Baby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Calum and Eloise go to Costco.

Calum loved taking Charlie to Costco. It was their way of bonding and talking about everything they’d missed in each other’s week. Sometimes Charlie would talk for the entire trip about a lesson he’d learned in school that week. Other times Charlie would ask Calum a million questions an hour as they strolled through the warehouse aisle. But Eloise had never been to Costco and Charlie loved nothing more than to tell his little sister all about the magic of Costco and his trips with papa. 

Ever since Eloise had come into their life and Charlie had to split his parent’s attention with a new human being, he found himself more and more excited for his Costco trips with his papa. However, when a bug that had been going around his school got to him, Charlie found himself sick in bed and missing the Costco trip he and his papa had planned. Eloise, who had just turned three and was more than ready for an adventure at moment’s notice, was jumping in her shoes as she waited for Dovey to finish putting her shoes on. 

“Charlie! I go with papa to Costcie!” Eloise giggled out from the hallway outside of Charlie’s room, “I bring you snacks." 

Calum had been bummed that he wasn’t going to be able to take Charlie to their weekly Costco run but with Eloise in her car seat, he was more than ready to show her what greatness Costco had to offer. Even though Target seemed to be Eloise’s favorite store, since Dovey and she found themselves there almost twice a week, Eloise had heard a lot about Costco from her big brother and was elated that she’d finally be able to visit and see exactly how awesome the giant store was. 

"Papa, we can see all the store?” Eloise asked as they pulled into the packed parking lot, “Like Charlie said?”

“Of course! We’re gonna have the full Costco experience, huh Elly?” Calum chuckled as he got the very excited three-year-old out of the car seat. “We can even get a frozen yogurt before we go, yeah?" 

With the extensive list that Dovey had made Calum, the two were off to explore the aisles and all the bulk goods that Costco had to offer. From her seat in the cart, Eloise was entranced by the tall stands and all the cookies a little girl could ever imagine. Calum couldn’t help but chuckle as he recognized the same look in Eloise’s eyes that Charlie had had just a few years back when their Costco traditions had begun. He watched as Eloise’s eyes widened as they walked through aisles of snacks and all the different drinks she could ever imagine or when they walked into the dairy section and she’d pulled the cardigan Dovey had dressed her in closer to herself. 

As their shopping trip ended, Eloise was leaning against a box filled with pastries and maybe one too many bags of bagels. With a hot dog in one hand and her eyes focused on the strawberry sundae, Calum was holding, Eloise had declared her first trip to Costco a success. She finally understood why Charlie had always loved the trips with papa and she was already thinking of ways she could tag along to the next trip.

The second time Eloise found herself in Costco, she was holding Dovey’s hand and trying to keep calm as she watched Charlie and her papa walking over to the dairy section. Their cart had been full and Eloise had opted for walking with Dovey instead of sitting in the cramped cart. This had meant that Dovey needed to keep her eyes constantly on Eloise and make sure she wasn’t going to run off and get lost. 

"Dovey, what cheese do we need?” Calum asked at one point, while Charlie and Eloise giggled over the funny shape of the ribs. 

Dovey, who thought she could trust her two kids to stay put while she and Calum playfully fought over the best cheese and what they should have for dinner, panicked when she turned around and was met by neither of her children. Their shopping cart showed no sign of two troublemakers moving it and the aisle was empty beside her and Calum. 

“Charlie? Eloise?” Dovey’s panicked voice called out as she walked to the end of the aisle, Calum right behind her as they both were met by a sight that made Dovey’s heart melt. 

A few aisles away, where the rotisserie chickens spun and spun, Charlie and Eloise both stood in awe. Dovey knew that Charlie loved watching the rotisserie chickens, it was all he wanted to do whenever they came to Costco so it was no surprise that Eloise also loved them. As her heart calmed and Calum’s hand found hers, she couldn’t help but snap a picture of the two kids who watched the chickens spinning, both of them too lost in the magic of them to notice their once panicked parents walk over to them. 

“Maybe…maybe we don’t run away like that next time, okay?” Dovey mumbled as she pulled Eloise into her arms to give her a better view of the chickens while Calum did the same to Charlie. 

“Mama, I love Costco.” Eloise sighed dreamily, her head finding comfort on Dovey’s shoulder as the four of them stood watching rotisserie chickens spin, like any normal family.


End file.
